"So, James."

"So, flower."

The redhead bit her lip and sighed. Why was this so difficult? Why not just come out and say it?

"You okay, Lils? You're turning red. And not in the good way."

"Oh! It's just the…sun." She said lamely and mentally facepalmed. Why the hell did out of moments to stay silent, did her mouth decide this was the time to shut her (very large) mouth. "Forget about that though, there's something I want to ask you."

"Go on." He said, loosening his tie and leaning back on his elbows.

"Well, my family is having a sort of…reunion. I'm sort of the only witch that's going to be there and it's really awkward to be with your family while your sister scowls at you with a whale of a husband mimicking her every move."

"That sounds sort of comical." James mused, taking pieces of the grass underneath him and twisting it through his fingers.

"It isn't," She said seriously, "Anyway, I was wondering if…you'd maybe want to come?" Everything about this situation felt uncomfortable. Their relationship had just begun and she didn't want to feel like she was pushing him to do more personal things like meeting her mother and her (dreadful) sister.

Not to mention the rest of her crazy family who are the exact opposite of civilized.

"Sure! Sounds like fun. What do you think, Padfoot, Wormtail?" James lifted his head and stared at the tree that Lily was leaning on.

"I agree. A crazy family is always the best kind of family, I always say." Said Sirius who appeared beside Peter.

Lily turned and rolled her eyes. They were all a package deal, weren't they?

"Where is the reunion anyway?" Peter asked, plopping himself beside James who raised his eyebrow. He clearly wanted to know the same thing.

"It's going to be a barbecue sort of thing. I'm not really sure but there's supposed to be music, booze-"

"The essentials." James smiled.

"That's not all. There's supposed to be a massive swimming pool in this house that my aunt rented out. My cousin, Penelope said that it's supposed to be a mansion or something. There's a lot more people coming than there were last year." But it seemed the three boys weren't even paying attention.

James had turned ashen, Sirius seemed highly amused at his best friend's lack of color, and Peter seemed to be holding in his laughter…horribly.

"James, what's wrong? What's so funny?"

"Oh, darling Lily! Good ol' James must not have told you all the details of his capabilities. Or lack of in this situation." Sirius said. Peter resembled a plump tomato because he was laughing so much.

"Lack of what?" Lily asked.

Sirius opened his mouth to speak but it was quickly covered by the hand of one blushing James Potter.

Peter was still laughing so it was no use asking him.

"We uh-gotta go, Lily. I'll see you later." He smiled weakly before dragging Sirius and Peter by the collar of their shirts.

Lily stared after them, bemused. What the hell was all that? Did she have something on her face? Did she say something funny? None of it made sense and to make it worse, James never called her 'Lily' unless he was being serious about something.

And she got that awful feeling that she was missing something that was right in front of her face.

The question was; what was it?

[][][][]

"I just don't understand, Mar. Do you think they think that it's too soon for him to meet my family? I mean, we have been dating for six months already. But, do you think I rushed it?" Lily bit her lip anxiously as her fingers absentmindedly clenched and unclenched around the pillow she'd been holding.

The blonde seventh year smiled at her friend sympathetically. Thinking about the way fifth year Lily would've reacted to seventh year Lily worrying about what James Potter thought about her seemed too good to be real.

"I think you're overthinking this, Lil. Maybe they saw something and thought it was funny."

"No. I remember Sirius saying that James couldn't do something. Do you think he's afraid of parents? Merlin! Mar, I've ruined everything!" Lily dropped her face into her pillow, defeated. Why did she think this was such a good idea? Why did she think James would even want to go?

"Stop, Lily! Why don't you just ask him?! If you're this hung up on it? Ask him. He is your boyfriend."

And so she did.

Or at least she tried.

James had become the new Houdini. Never in all seventeen years of Lily Evans' existence on this Earth has someone avoided her so much. She'd see one patch of messy black hair and then when she would try call out his name, it would instantly disappear.

Sirius and Peter were nowhere to be seen. And Remus had gone out to visit a relative. But Lily kept track of everything. Including when Remus was supposed to arrive back at Hogwarts.

It seemed pretty obvious which redhead stood by the door all afternoon, while everyone else went to Hogsmeade, and waited for the arrival of a specific Marauder.

Once he stepped through the door of the castle, Lily jumped up from her spot by the wall and pounced.

"Remus!"

"Lily?!"

Obviously he was surprised to see her. She had deprived her stomach of food because she didn't want to miss him and supposed she didn't look her absolute best at that moment. The rest of the mischievous Marauders probably told him of how Lily was trying to find each of them and avoid her at all costs.

She knew this because not only did Remus look surprised but scared and nervous. His eyes darted around his surroundings, hoping to find something or someone to help him. No one came, Lily thanked anyone who was watching over her and much to Remus' dismay.

"Remus, dear ol' Remus." She grabbed his tie, making it impossible to escape.

"Lily, I've got assignments to make up in all my classes so I'll just be-"

"I'm sure James will give you the notes to all your classes later. You know, after he reappears on the planet. Have you heard from him, Remus?" She tugged on his tie as Remus gulped.

"I-I haven't. I've been away, Lily."

"Right. So, no owls or messages from him? Or Sirius or Peter? No secrets that you're keeping from me?"

"No."

"Oh really? Then why did dumb and dumber decide that my reunion was the funniest thing they've ever heard?"

"You mean Sirius and Peter, I'm assuming. I don't know, Lily. To be honest, I thought you were going to hex me. All I got was to stay away from you."

"So they did send you a letter!"

"Yes. Can you let go of my tie now?" Remus looked from his tie to Lily and she smiled apologetically before letting his tie land softly on his chest.

"You have no idea what they were talking about?"

Remus shook his head, digging his hands in his pockets.

"Do you know what they meant by James lack of ability at simple barbecues?" Lily asked, finding it frustrating that Remus still didn't get that she needed vital information.

"Depends, what's at this barbecue."

"I said music, beer and a pool that was took up half of the mansion space in the mansi-"

"Wait! You said pool, right?" Remus held up a hand to silence her the moment he cut her off.

"Yeah, why?"

"I think you can put two and two together and find out what James' lack of ability is. It involves bodies of water."

Then without another glance towards her, Remus Lupin continued on his way to Gryffindor Tower.

[][][][]

"Lily?" James whispered. He looked around and tried to find a distinct woman form in the foggy night but couldn't see anything.

"James? You actually came?" She said astonished. He was as good as avoiding people as he was at surprising them.

"Yes. I find owls using the loo on my school jumper to be a very good method of persuasion." He said bitterly.

Lily was thankful it was dark, that way he wouldn't get angrier at the triumphant grin on her face.

"You wouldn't see me otherwise. And I haven't the slightest idea why."

"Before I continue, where are you?"

"Inside the lake."

"The lake? What are you doing in there?"

"Trying to teach my boyfriend to swim." Lily said boldly, imagining the look of shock on his face and the look of anger when he finds out that Remus told her.

"Who told you?"

"Does it matter? What's more important is why didn't you tell me?"

"It's embarrassing! What kind of man would I be, asking his girlfriend for swimming lessons?"

"Well, you're getting some anyway. I'm going to teach you right now."

"I'm not getting in the water. That's a failure at being a swimming professor in my book." James said imperiously.

"No, you're getting in. Without me having to do anything but relax."

"What do you mean?"

"I relaxing. In the water. Without my bathing suit."

James eyes widened. Had his ears heard correctly? His girlfriend was only inches away from him, completely naked? All to get him in the water to teach him to swim.

"You're bluffing."

"Only one way to find out. Besides I have this giant knot in my back. I wish someone could massage it for me."

James glared at her. Using hormones, honestly? He removed his shoes and shirt, along with his pants before dipping his toe into the water and slowly sliding in. James felt a pair of hands holding his forearms as he quickly reached for the ledge he just slid off of.

"I've got you. Don't worry."

His hands slid behind her neck and pulled her close to him. For sentimental reasons and because he thought that he was going to die. But once his hands reached her neck, he could feel a piece of string tied up at the nape of Lily's neck.

"Liar." He whispered.

"Only one way to get you in. Why else would I ask you to come out here when it was pitch black?"

"I'm not going to learn how to swim in a day."

"No. But I was hoping that it would help you with your phobia of drowning. I can't have my family acting crazy and you acting crazy because you can't swim."

"I would love to answer you. Let's just get out of the water first. You do realize this water is freezing." James shivered.

It wasn't a surprise the both of them received terrible colds. The best perk of it all was, because of their sickness, Jams and Lily were told to stay inside during the reunion.

Away from the pool.

A|N - Happy Birthday James!